Knee or elbow cap.



(No Model.)

WITNESSES r. w. GORSE. KNEE 0B ELBOW CAP.

(Applicltilm filed Doc. 28, 1899.1-

Patented Dec. ll, I900.

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r. w. sense.

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lMPEUIFIfiA'lION forming part of Lotta-system 'i io.

coarse, dated Deceniber 11,1900.

Application filed December 28, 1899. Serial lilo. 741,824. (No model.)

To (all whom, it may concern- Be it lrnown that l, FRANK W. GORSE, acitison of the United States, and a resident of Highland ville, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Knee or Elbow Cap, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to bandages used by physicians andotber persons; and its object is to provide a new and improved knee or elbow cap or proieotor arranged to prevent irritation and gouging of the flesh at the joint where the protector is used and at the same time combine strength with softness at the joint to allow of readily placing the bandage in position without danger of tearing it.

The-invention consists of novel features and par's and combinations oi the same, as will be frilly described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of my in rention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar ohnrncters of reference indicate correspending parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of the improvementin the form of'alinee-cap and shown as applied. Fly. 2 is a sectional plan View of the improvement on the line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fi 3 is a face viewol. the blank for the front piece of the cap or protector. Fig. at is a like View of the blank for the realor joint piece. Fig. 5 is an enlarged face View of part of the rear piece, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section of the same on the line b 6 in Fig. 5.

Knee-caps or elbow-protectors as heretofore constructed were made from a single piece of elastic knitted fabric material sewed together at the ends to forina tubular fabric and had a seam at the rear portion and the front part of the fabric had added rounds to give the desired shape to the article. The seam at the rear of the cap was liable to irritate and gouge joint when the one was used,

and as the entire cap was made of a single piece of elastic fabric it is evident that the en tire rear portion was as hard as the front, and consequently the rear portion was also liable to irritate the skin at the joint.

With my improved cap or protector, presen tly to be described in detail, the above-men tioned objections are completely removed,

and for this purpose the protector or essentially made piece B, connected witheach other at the cap is sides by loops 0 to form sideseams, reinforced both on the outside and inside by reinforcing tapes D If, fastened to the pieces A and stitches E, as is plainly indicated in Fig. 2; As indicated in Figs. 3 and ii, the blanl s.l"or the pieces A and B are made traperzoidal-in shape, so that when the side edges are les toned together a tubular fabric is produced which bulges out at ihefront and is concsvedat the rear or inner portion to the contour of the knee, as shown in Fig. 1. The side edges of the front piece what longer than the side edges of the rear piece, and when the corresponding side edges of the pieces A and 15 are joined the shorter side edges of the piece B are stretched or drawn out somewhat to produce a protector having what is knownasa fashioned shape. Thus the front portion of the cap or protector is bulging out and is longer than the learner-- tion to insure a proper fitting on the leg. The

upper diameter of the tubular fabric is some-f what larger than that of the lower end to securely hold the cap in position on the leg when it is used, as will be understood by reference to Fig. l. lhe front tion A formed with elastic wnrpthresds, and also with top and. bottom borders A A woven similarly to the body-piece A, but somewhat closeig'so as to give a tighter hold on "the leg; at the top and bottom of the cap or protector to prevent the top and bottom ends of the cap from oreeping toward each other. The rear piece B has upper and lower body portions B 15 which are woven similarly to the body piece A, and the said upper and lower body portions 13' B are connected with each other by a middle portion ll of a line loose weave without lon gitudinal elastic warp threads, as plainly shown in Fig. 5. The upper portion ii is provided with a border ii, and a similar border is arranged on the lower end of the body portion 8*, said borders 1% B being of similar constructionto the borders A A and ex,- tendinginalinement therewith,the tapes l) D extending over the body portions A. B as A are some?" piece A has its body por- 3 longitudisally-extending of a front piece A and a rear;

readily follow well as the middle piece "8 the borders A B", and the borders A Now by having the middle portion B of the rear piece 13 made of a line loose weave without elastic threads it is evident that this por: tion, owing to its soft nature, is not'liable to irritate the skin at the joint of the knee or elbow, but at the same time allows bending of the part on which thebandage is used without undue binding of the flesh at the joint. It is understood that when the knee or elbow is bent the said soft middle portion B readily forms into folds or wrinkles, the same as the skin, and consequently irritation of the latter is entirely prevented.

lIaving thus fully described my invention, I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An elastic tubd'lar bandage, com prising a front piece and a rear piece, the side edges of the latter being shorter than the side edges of the front piece, the said pieces being fastened together at said side edges, the said rear piece having its upper and lower portions formed with elastic warp-threads and the middle portion in the form of a fine loose weave of inelastic threads, substantially as shown and described. V

2. A bandage in tubular form and having itsrear formed at its upper and lower parts with elastic warp-threads,and a middle finelywoven portion of inelastic threads and connecting the said upper and lower parts, the said middle portion extending to the sides of the bandage, substantially as shown and described.

3. A bandage comprising a front pieceand a rear piece joined at their edges to form a tubular fabric, the rear piece having its side edges shorter than the side edges of the l gont piece, the shorter side edges being stretched when joining the edges together, the said bandage having the seams at thesides, and tapes for reinforcing said seams and extending over the seams at both the inside and outside of the fabric, the front piece being formed with elastic warp-threads, and the rear piece having an upper and a lower'po'rtion formed with elastic warp-threads, and a tine looselywoven middle portion of inelastiotlireads and extending to the sides of the bandage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the" presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK W GORSE.

Witnesses:

A. H. WHETTON, J. J. WHETTON. 

